Thursday, September 28, 2017

Painting Progress

Although I have an extremely simple painting style, it takes me a while to actually get things painted.  I don't see how people paint hundreds of these.  I've got the coats, pants, muskets, and packs painted.  Now I have just the faces, headgear, musket barrels, cannons, limbers, and horses remaining.  Hopefully I can get finished up soon.  I'm getting anxious.  Then my next project will be the terrain which I'm still modeling in SketchUp.  I've got some evergreen trees that clump together, some basic European houses, a church, and a set of "fortress" walls.  The fortress walls are designed to look somewhat like a star fort, but square to fit the grid-based nature of the game.  More printing, more painting....
The colors chosen for the armies were chosen to look vaguely historic, but not necessarily historically accurate.  I guess that makes the armies imagi-nation forces.  A backstory might give players more connection with their forces and make the game more interesting.  I'm not going to go full bore on the backstories and histories for the nations that would field the forces, but I might write a 1-2 pager for each.
If When I get the units and terrain painted, I plan to run a few test games and then jump into a small campaign.  Bob Cordery writes about smaller campaigns in his Developing the Portable Wargame book.  His method seems to give a good feel of campaign progression without causing a whole lot of extra management.  I might pick random scenarios from One Hour Wargames  to determine the battle.  The winner from the previous battle could pick their initial position for the next battle.  This way the same battle wouldn't be fought over and over again if neither side has a clear advantage.  I'd like to eventually work up to what they do on napoleonicwargaming.blogspot.com, but that would violate my cheap, compact, and fast limitations. 


If you've played some of the scenarios from One Hour Wargames which are your favorite?  are there any that would make a good campaign if linked together? 

Thursday, September 21, 2017

More Models Coming Soon!

I think I successfully got a believable enough tricorne model designed.  Now to print and paint.  If it looks like it will be a success I'll put it out on thingiverse.  I know more people do imagi-nations with tricorne wearing troops than shakos.  Maybe someone will find a non-descript model useful for their imagi-nation army, since it isn't supposed to be just like an existing nation's uniforms.  Most people are probably good enough at painting to add extra details like cuffs and facings.  I'd really like to see what a better painter could do with these.  I think I'll stick with the shakos for my army though. 
I got to the tricorne by trying to make a believable bicorne.  The bicorne has eluded me for some time now.  I really could use a General to lead the Napoleonic armies, but have yet to develop a bicorne model that doesn't look exceedingly stupid.  Maybe some day...




Opinions/thoughts/feedback on the tricorne model is greatly appreciated.


Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Painting Models

My models are very simply painted.  They do not have faces, shadows, shading, buttons, buckles, shoes/boots, straps, or anything else that would be expected on modern plastic or metal miniatures.  What they do have is a coat, pants, musket, pack, headgear, and a spherical head.  That's it. The simple paint scheme is due to two primary factors. 
1: Materials
In an effort to remain budget friendly, I did not buy expensive brushes that would get torn up in painting the relatively rough PLA plastic my units are printed in.  I already had access to my wife's collection of cheap acrylic paints, so I just used those.  In reality the materials probably only have a minimal effect on the finished product.  The biggest reason for my results is my lack of skill
2: Skill
This is the biggest driver of my simple painting schemes.  I have little (no) painting skills.  I read "Grid Based Wargaming" and wish I had half of the skill required to paint 28mm miniatures in his "simple" and "fast" fashion.  He was very generous in explaining how he gets the results he does, but I think skill and experience is the missing link for me. 
My 3D design skill also influenced my simple paint scheme.  It would look odd to me to have detailed paint on simple models.  This simple modeling carries over to the terrain that I'm designing and will be similarly simply painted.


Here are some partially painted models.  For reference, the "equator" of the head is 27mm for the artillery unit.  As you can see there are some serious scaling issues going on here. 

 






Issuing Orders

I don't currently have unit formations written into my game rules.  It seems that almost every Napoleonic themed game has some level of unit formation.  Are there any sources which describe what level of detailed commands were issued at what level? 


In my v1.0 rules, players command roughly division sized forces.  From the reading I've done, it seemed that battalions were the basic operating units.  It would then seem (from my experience) that for the most part, the battalion commander would receive orders such as go there, assault that, or hold this.  He would then reissue the command with additional detail such as formation, speed of movement, and/or precise route and timing.  Is this understanding historically accurate?  I know there's no such thing as absolutes, and every military regulation has a waiver or exception, but in general, what orders did the division commander issue?  Which issues were issued at lower levels? 


In the wargames where players can/do control division or larger size forces, are players playing the role of multiple people?  Do they know/understand that?  How does it affect play?  Please feel free to respond to any/all questions in the comments. 

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Wargaming on a budget

As I get started in wargaming, I'm trying to keep my cost down.  I'd love to have hundreds of very high detail metal miniatures and piles of terrain, but those are out of the picture for now.  In this post I will attempt to show that with a little hard work (and some tempering of expectations) wargaming can be done on a modest budget.





Please pardon the unfinished painting of the units, bad lighting and bad photography.  This image is intended to show a somewhat encompassing image of the text in this post.



Terrain:  Currently my terrain is felt. It was bought at the chain craft store.  A 3'x3' piece of green costs somewhere around $5 USD.  I bought some 9"x12" pieces in other colors to cut up to represent hills, forests, roads, water, and built-up areas.  Each piece cost about $1 if I remember correctly.

Board:  $0.  I put the felt directly on the kitchen table.

Miniatures:  Ok so here's where I cheat a little.  I own a 3D printer.  I had it before I started putting this wargaming idea together.  I designed and printed my own range of vaguely Napoleonic miniatures. (Link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2521148) Each stand cost me less than $0.25 USD in plastic.  I count my printer as a hobby, so I don't include my time as an expense.  Each vaguely divisional force is made up of six units, so a playable force costs $3 before painting.
My wife is a pretty crafty lady so we already had a small collection of cheap acrylic paint laying around.  I used that.  If I had to buy it all I think it might cost between $5 and $10 depending on how many colors you use.

Dice: Purchased from amazon $5.

Grand Total:  Less than $30.  Not too shabby.

I promise pictures are coming to the blog shortly.  I just need to find some time to actually take them.

Monday, September 18, 2017

How I explain wargaming

I got hooked by wargaming after being frustrated with some of the classic war-themed strategy games, so I decided to make my own.  Telling someone that you're making your own game generally gets some strange looks and raises some questions.  I generally start by explaining what I don't like about the classic games, and then try to describe my game in terms they might understand.

I liked the idea of RISK, but it always turns into a massive army marching across whole continents in a single turn.  Turning in cards at the right time seemed to be more important than almost anything else. STRATEGO is fun, but the underpowered units never win.  I don't really like that level of determined outcomes.  I played my dad's boyhood copy of BATTLE CRY!, and somewhat enjoyed it, but I didn't like how one army could occupy so much space on a map.  One single army could easily span several hundred miles and then instantly form battle lines and fight as a cohesive force.

Many younger people have played the TOTAL WAR series of PC games.  If you have, then you know that you fight battles on the tactical level, but move your forces at the strategic level.  My game, and most wargames, focus somewhere nearer the tactical battles from TOTAL WAR.  My specific game is grid-based, so I don't worry with fiddly spacing and unit depth.  I don't have unit formations in my game.  I let the lower level commanders make those decisions.  In my game the players move large units across the battlefield, capturing objectives and completing scenarios.  Most historical battles focused on holding key terrain features and locations, not just lining up and destroying the enemy army as in TOTAL WAR.



Thursday, September 14, 2017

Rules v1.0

At the end of this post is v1.0 of the rules I intend to use. I would greatly appreciate any thoughts/feedback. The Portable Wargame by Bob Cordery was essential inspiration for the development of these rules.

Game Setup
Players roll for first placement of units. Unless scenario or terrain precludes, units will be placed in the back two rows, and not in an exterior column.

Turn Progression
Determine Initiative, Move, Ranged Attack, Close Combat, Remove units

Initiative
At the beginning of the game, players roll to determine who has the first move, unless a scenario dictates otherwise. Generally the attacker will have the first move.
At the beginning of a game-turn both players roll a D6, the player with the highest roll plays their player-turn first. The number rolled represents the number of units that the player may move on his/her turn. After both players have played their player-turns another game-turn begins by rolling to determine which player begins their player-turn first.

Movement Rules
1. All movement occurs through the side of tiles, not the corners.
2. Units may only move only once per turn.
3. Units that will fire this turn reduce movement by 1 tile.
4. Units may change direction any number of times during a movement, but must end their turn facing only 1 side of a tile.
5. Units may not start or end a turn in the same tile as another unit. (Exception: Commanders may share a tile with any unit, attaching themselves to that unit)
6. If in the course of movement a unit moves into a tile adjacent to an enemy-occupied table, it must turn stop and turn to face the enemy. If the tile is adjacent to two enemy occupied tiles, the moving player will choose which enemy to face. Close Combat will then ensue.

Infantry Ranged Attack
1. Units may only fire once per turn
2. Units may only fire at units that are in range.
3. Firing unit must have line of sight to target unit.
4. May fire 1 tile into woods or built-up areas.
5. May fire out of woods or built-up areas, provided firing unit is on the edge of the woods or built-up area.

Process:
1. Identify firing and target units.
2. Confirm ranged attack is valid.
3. Firing unit rolls two D6.
4. Using Unit Data, determine number of hits.
5. Defender rolls one D6 to determine impact.

Modifiers
+1: Commander Attached/Adjacent,
-1: Target in cover

Artillery Ranged Attack
1. Units may only fire once per turn.
2. Units who have moved may not fire.
3. Units may only fire at units that are in range.
4. Firing unit must have line of sight to target unit.
5. May fire 1 tile into woods or built-up areas.
6. May not fire out of woods or built-up areas.

Process:
1. Identify firing and target units.
2. Confirm ranged attack is valid.
3. Firing unit rolls two D6.
4. Using Unit Data, determine number of hits.
5. Defender rolls one D6 to determine impact


Modifiers
+1: Commander Attached/Adjacent, Fired into same tile last turn
-1: Target in cover

Close Combat
1. A unit moving into a tile adjacent to an enemy unit must immediately stop, face the enemy unit, and engage in close combat.
2. A rear or flank attack is made directly to the side or rear of an enemy unit.
3. A unit who starts a turn having been engaged in close combat in the opponents turn, may withdraw from close combat, but in choosing so may not attack the unit with which it was in close combat with during the last turn. 

Process:
1. Identify attacking and defending units.
2. Confirm attack is valid.
3. Attacking unit rolls two D6.
4. Using Unit Data, determine number of hits.
5. Defender rolls one D6 to determine impact.

Modifiers
+1: Adjacent/Attached Commander, Flank/Rear Attack, Attacking Downhill
-1: Attacking uphill, attacking into forest/built-up area


Resolving Hits
After the attacking player determines how many hits the target sustained in the attack, the defending player rolls 1 D6 to determine the impact of the attack. Elite units with competent officers were more likely to remove themselves from battle, whereas inexperienced officers often misread the situation, resulting in higher casualties.

Unless otherwise specified, all units have a starting strength of six. The unit’s remaining strength is indicated by a D6 kept near the unit. 

Definitions
Line-of-sight (LOS): Ranged units need to be able to see their targets. LOS should be measured from the center of one tile to the center of another. Certain types of terrain obstruct LOS

Terrain
Hill: Reduces movement by 1 tile, Units on edge of hill area facing enemy may be seen, but hill blocks LOS behind.
Rough/Field: Provides cover to light infantry. Reduces cavalry movement by 1. 
Forest: Only Infantry may enter forest. Provides cover. Reduces movement to 1 tile. Blocks LOS behind, but units on edge of forest facing enemy can be seen. Infantry may fire out of forest if on edge of forest, but ranged attacks into forest must only be done in adjacent tiles. 
Built-Up-Area: Only Infantry may attack from a built-up-area. Built-Up-Area provides 360 degree range of fire. Provides Cover. Blocks LOS behind. 
River: Impassable except at bridges or fords.
Swamps: Impassable
Mountain: Impassable, Blocks LOS

Unit Types
Line Infantry: The standard infantry unit of the day. Soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder armed with muskets and bayonets. Line infantry soldiers are well drilled but many do not receive the training required to be proficient marksmen. 
Light Infantry: Most national armies organized their best shooting soldiers into light infantry units. They fight in loose formation or skirmish formation, enabling them to find more cover from the terrain and move rapidly across the field. Their loose formation does reduce their melee combat ability.
Cavalry: Armed with sabers or lances, cavalry are very fast and can be devastating to enemy formations. Keeping enemy cavalry out of the army’s flank can be difficult, but is essential to effective maneuver. 
Artillery: As cannons became more mobile and accurate, they earned a permanent position in armies. Capable of devastating attacks at very long ranges, eliminating enemy artillery should be a priority of any commander.

Unit Data

Units Designed Thus Far

Units/miniatures are the heart of any wargame.  Most are highly detailed and somewhat realistic looking, although most are drastically non-proportional.  It is difficult to sculpt the human body in such a way as to make a sturdy enough to cast at the 15-28 mm scale.  I designed the models at the following link to serve as the units in my game.  They are intentionally void of complex detail. The metal and plastic miniatures can be beautiful, but I don't want to spend the time to become proficient at painting.  The models I designed can be painted very simply, which is good enough for me.  I figured that if I'm going to have a grid-based game where units can only move in set distances and only make precisely 90 degree turns, the simple uniforms and spherical heads are an acceptable abstraction. 

Link to models I designed: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2521148

The v1.0 rules include provisions for line infantry, light infantry, artillery, and cavalry.  I have considered adding more unit types, but those four make a decent start. I considered buying used and pre-painted models, but after realizing I could 3D print my models for very little money, I refined the models and started printing.  Some of the models experienced some quality issues, and I might reprint some in the future.

Each based unit would vaguely represent a regiment.  Four infantry (one being light infantry), one artillery, and one cavalry bases will make a division with attached cavalry regiment.  This will serve as the basic forces with which the game will be fought.  The army composition can be easily tailored to support history or customized to the player's preferences. 


EDIT:  If you're interested in having any of the models but don't have access to a 3D printer, let me know in the comments.  I'm sure we can work something out.  I considered putting them on shapeways.com, but thought their pricing was too high. 

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Intro

The purpose of this blog is to collect and document process of developing a roughly Napoleonic, grid-based, war game which can be played in a short period of time with minimal investment. 
I know that sounds like a pie-in-the-sky wish list, but I think I'm on the path towards achieving it.


Roughly Napoleonic:
Although I am interested in military history, several of the people I would play with are not.  I want the game to feel Napoleonic for solo games, but not require an extensive knowledge of history when I play with others. 
Grid Based: 
I am a simple man with simple tastes.  I want to spend time enjoying the game not measuring the distance between things.  Being grid based also probably quickens play. 
Quick Play Time:
I don't have time/space right now for an elaborate table full of high-detail terrain.  Ideally, games could be set-up, played, and taken down in under 2 hours. 
Minimal Investment:
Being new to wargaming, I don't want to spend a whole lot of money on something that I don't get to enjoy frequently.


I want to preemptively thank all those whose ideas have inspired me up to this point.  I will try to cite sources of ideas as I go.